All posts tagged Thornton Wilder

When Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” opened on Broadway February 4, 1938 – 75 years ago today — no one was more surprised by its success than Wilder himself. He did not foresee that the play would win the Pulitzer Prize, or that well into the 21st century, “Our Town” would survive and thrive on and off-Broadway, and in theaters across the United States and around the world. As the play went into previews, Wilder was afraid it would be a failure. In January 1938 he wrote, “OUR TOWN, opening in Boston, had such bad reviews that a second week was canceled, and the manager engaged a New York theater which was free for only a week and a half.”

But 75 years later, people are still watching the play. Ford’s Theatre in Washington is hosting the national celebration of this anniversary with an “Our Town” production that runs through February 24. There are 75th anniversary stagings around the country and abroad. “Our Town” was borne out of the American experience, yet other countries import it as their own. The play still speaks across cultures, across time zones, across languages. By some accounts it is the most produced American play ever. Read More »

It’s known to high school students all over the country: “Our Town,” the Thornton Wilder play about life in the fictional village of Grover’s Corners, N.H., is a staple of countless drama clubs. But as a stand-alone production, it has never lasted a full year (high school students, after all, eventually have to get back to their homework).

On Wednesday night, a critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of the play concluded its 337th performance at the Barrow Street Theatre, making what this play’s producers are calling the longest running “Our Town” of all time. To mark the occasion, the show threw a party.

Actors emerged in their street clothes and mingled with guests like actor/dancer Joel Grey and writer Nora Ephron on the play’s stage — really a black floor with chairs around it — while sipping champagne.

“August: Osage County” playwright Tracy Letts sent a playful note about the “shameless bit of marketing” that was this party. Read More »

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